Friday, September 01, 2006

On top of all this lousy economic news lately, the last week of summer has been full of most un-summer-y, depressing weather. Living in rather spartan temporary quarters has made me more than usually grumpy about this-- I don't like sitting around "at home," I can't go to the beach, and even a walk to the park isn't all that pleasant. So instead I find myself spending a lot of time in cafes, diners and retail establishments. So of course I've been spending some money I otherwise might not. $3.00 for a coffee and muffin isn't too bad. $6 or $7 for an egg sandwich and coffee at a diner isn't too bad. A couple of bucks for pizza, no big deal. But I seem to do all 3 every single day on the weekends! I am being well-behaved, though, about the shopping. I mostly go to bookstores and read magazines and books for free. And anything else that tempts me is jotted down for reconsideration later. Knowing you have to pack and move anything you buy at least twice in the next month is a great way to keep from spending money!Now I have to go call Verizon-- after a long lag in mail forwarding, I finally got the bill from them for the call-forwarding service I've been using, which allows me to keep my old phone number and have calls transferred to my cell phone while I'm homeless. They originally told me it would cost $9 a month, but they'll billing me for $15 a month!

2 comments:

When living with other people, it is hard to keep yourself occupied so you won't feel like you're intruding. If you were in your own home, I bet you'd enjoy staying home in "un-summer-y" weather (lol) while lounging on your sofa and listening to the rain tap on the window without spending a dime. Ahhh...

I'm doing his right now as Ernesto makes his way through the east coast.

Stay on Verizon and get them straight. Depending on when your service started, they're good for prorating a partial month then charging you for the next month on one bill.

About Me

My name is Madame X, and I am a 40-something single woman living in New York's lower Hudson Valley. I write about how much money I make, what I spend it on, how much I save, how I budget, my home-buying experiences, my financial goals and ambitions, my thoughts on class and what it means to be rich or poor, and anything else that relates to money. (More about me here, here, and here.)If you take any of my advice, do so at your own risk as I am not really qualified to give it. If you have advice to share, please do, and many thanks!